Tre Notturni Brillanti: I. di volo

2016

Program Note

Salvatore Sciarrino’s Tre Notturni Brillanti is easily not for the unprepared listener. While the three-movement piece is nothing short of brilliant avant-garde exectution and an incredible sonic design, it is not for the untrained of ear.

The first movement, di volo, consists of incredibly high notes very clustered together with harmonics used frequently. The profile of this movement would can be best described as sporadic waves; the viola has moments of crescendo and decrescendo that form wave like dynamics, and they often come in surprises. Striking the string causes these more intense moments to come without notice, often staying for a period of time where the strings are toyed with through harmonics as well as bow placement (staying higher on the bow near the tip).

The first movement, di volo, consists of incredibly high notes very clustered together with harmonics used frequently. The profile of this movement would can be best described as sporadic waves; the viola has moments of crescendo and decrescendo that form wave like dynamics, and they often come in surprises. Striking the string causes these more intense moments to come without notice, often staying for a period of time where the strings are toyed with through harmonics as well as bow placement (staying higher on the bow near the tip). The other movements, scorrevole e animato and prestissimo precipitando, contain a similar format to that of di volo, only difference being that these waves happen more frequently as the piece progresses. It almost seems the piece is like taking a night walk; the farther you get from your original location, the more tense you seem to become and the paranoia that begins to well up in you brings out the more ornate sounds surrounding you.

One particular moment that strikes me (both literally and as a listener) is the first sFz-like note that appears at the beginning of scorrevole e animato, in which there is a harsh note that appears suddenly, as if you saw a lightning strike in the distance out of nowhere. The sound is incredibly jagged, and sets the path for the rest of the movement with more sudden moments. The notation is quite harsh, and the sound produced by the performer sounds even harsher. Expressively, while terrifying, it is incredibly convincing and the message of a harsh night is conveyed incredibly so.

Music like this may be challenging to listen to for most. Coming from harsh noise experimentation and hearing string improvisations of this nature before, this wasn’t particularly difficult to listen to. It is a piece that starts to make you question whether or not this is music, similar to the argument of whether or not John Cage’s “4”33′” is music. I feel this can be more easily consumed by a more general audience if one does not try to classify it into the avant-garde style, or even classify it as music. If a listener were to go into this piece and the only thing they would call it is “art”, it is a much easier listening and emotional experience.

About Salvatore Sciarrino

Salvatore Sciarrino (Palermo, 1947) boasts of being born free and not in a music school. He started composing when he was twelve as a self-taught person and held his first…

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